Atonement: Cottage On The Beach
by LisaB1991
Summary: What if Robbie and Cecilia survived WWII?
1. Chapter 1

Atonement – The Cottage on the Beach.

Plot summary:

What if Robbie and Cecilia both survived WWII? What if Briony found them and made her apologies? That's where this fanfiction of mine is about.

I'm sorry if my English and Grammar are bad. I live in The Netherlands, so English is not my native language.

**Chapter one – Dunkirk evacuation.**

1 June, 1940.

06.53 a.m.

Dunkirk.

_Dearest Cecilia,_

_Our story can resume. At this moment, British soldiers are__evacuating Dunkirk. It won't last long, and I'll be on that boat, which is waiting for __us__, and be reunited with you soon._

_I've kept all the letters you wrote to me, and in all these years they have become a treasure to me. A trea__sure, so precious. I can't wait to feel your arms around me, your lips pressed against mine. Your sweet voice whispering my name, the same way you did in the library, five years ago._

_These five years have been a torment, my love. All these years, moths, days, hours.. were spent without you by my side. Only once, two years ago, in the pub, we were together. You were wearing your uniform. Your eyes sparkled as they had never done before._

_My love, wait for me. I will return._

_Love,_

_Your Robbie._

Robbie Turner laid down his pen and looked at the scenery in front of him. Wounded soldiers, dead soldiers, healthy soldiers. All were on the beach. The atmosphere was tensed. But also excited. In a few hours, they would be on that ship, that big army ship, to bring them home.

Finally. The evacuation began slowly. The weak men first, then it would be Robbie's turn to get on the ship. Robbie was nervous. And restless. He couldn't wait to go back to England. To be with Cecilia. To come home. Cecilia.

Her name kept running through his brains. A smile appeared on his face. For her, he'd be patient.

Cecilia Tallis, head nurse of the St. Thomas' Hospital, ran through the halls of the hospital. She just received a phone call. The British soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk that morning. No news from any dead soldiers. No news from the amount soldiers aboard the ship. No news from Robbie.

'Sister Tallis, why such hurry? Anything happened? Is there an emergency?'

Cecilia turned around nervously. All she wanted was to get out from the hospital. To go home, and prepare. Prepare for his homecoming.

'No, sister Andrews, nothing's happened.'

She looked into the eyes of the curious young girl in front of her. Her boyfriend, Thomas Cook, had died three days ago. He was seventeen years old. The young girl was grieving, yes, but in a way which wouldn't be expected from a young girl. It was always thought that young girls would break down and cry whole days. This girl was different. She worked long days, doing every kind of odd jobs she could think of, just to ban the thoughts from her head. Cecilia admired the girl.

With a slight smile, Cecilia turned around and continued her way, to the big entrance. When she stood outdoors, in the muggy weather, Cecilia raised her head to the sky and closed her eyes. Soon, soon the ship would anchor. And Robbie would be on that ship, she knew it. And she would be waiting for him. For him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

_I'm really sorry for my lack of updates. My inspiration left me and a part of a document, which contained chapter 2, disappeared from my USB stick. Anyways, here's chapter 2. I hope you guys like, and I am sorry that's a short one, again. I promise I'll add larger ones in the future! Enjoy!_

_--------------------------------------------------_

Sooner than he had expected, Robbie climbed aboard the ship called 'The Alligator' and walked on deck. Everywhere he looked he could see yammering soldiers, laying wounded on camp-beds. A preacher kneeled beside a dying soldier, holding his hands, while the soldier was shaking from the sudden cold which spread from his bones to every cell in his body. The soldier mumbled a prayer, while the preacher whispered comforting words in the man's ear.

"Do not fear, my son. Always remember that the Almighty is looking over you and will welcome you with spread arms to His home. Do not lose faith, boy. He will come, and rescue you."

With these final words, the soldier's body weakened and with a final breath, he passed away, without closing his eyes. The preacher stood up, while closing the man's eyes.

"In name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost..'' And with these words, the preacher turned around and nodded to the Captain of the ship, telling him that this body could be cleaned and situated in a coffin.

Robbie looked how a few men carried the corpse away.. This could've been his faith. Was he so lucky, that he had survived? The war wasn't over yet. But still.. he felt something which you could call victory.

While considering this, he walked away, unable to look at the yammering men and began searching his friends. He found Nettle, sitting on a chair, in the middle of all this people, with a glass of whiskey in his hand. When he noticed Robbie, he lifted his hand, asking him to come over.

When Robbie reached him, Nettle took another chair and pulled it next to his. "Sit down, Rob. Want a whiskey, too?"

"No, thanks." Robbie sat down and looked over sea, while the captain walked restless on deck.

"This ain't no bloody vacation, private Turner and Nettle!" Robbie and Nettle turned around, facing the captain. "On your way, find something useful to do!"

When the captain turned around to continue his way, Nettle raised his hand to his head, as being saluting, and stuck his tongue out of his mouth. Robbie, vainly succeeding to stop himself from laughing, walked to the stairs and made his way to the lower decks, to find himself a sleep cabin.

---

Cecilia organized her apartment as well as she could. She had never been so organized, not even at home. Oh well, would she ever be? No. Would Robbie care? She didn't know. She knew that _he_ had been organized, back home. He could've changed.. after five years of war. But that wasn't important. All that mattered was that he returned to her, safely.

How she had longed to hold him in her arms, after all this time. The last time she did, was when she was waiting for her bus, when he said: "Wish that bus never came.." She hugged herself, standing in front of her mirror. While looking at herself, she noticed that she hadn't changed at all. Her teeth were a bit more yellow.. because of her smoking. She looked at the pack of cigarettes, laying on the table, waiting for her. Screaming to her to pick one up, put it in her mouth, light one and just smoke. Forget all the horrid things from the past, for a few minutes. The lie Briony had spread, the betrayal from her family. Even Leon and her father hadn't believed him. After all what Robbie had been through.. after all what he had done for her family. She couldn't. She couldn't forget, nor forgive. Never. They betrayed Robbie and so betrayed her. She had never been very open to her mother, never told the feelings she felt for Robbie. Perhaps because she didn't know how to act.. afraid for what they would think.. Perhaps she should've been more open. If she had told her true feelings.. would anything be different? If she'd told Emily about Robbie's.. sexual written letter.. No. No, she just couldn't have done THAT. She walked to the window, opened it and threw her cigarette on the street. Nothing meaningful about that, just enough time spoiled by thinking about her 'family', in her eyes it contained no longer the meaning of the word. No: her family was coming home in a few hours, longing eagerly for her. _Come back, come back to me.._


End file.
